Felt conditioner



June 2, 1964 R. E. SMITH 3,135,653

FELT CONDITIONER Filed'Nov. 3, 1961 6 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. ROBERT E. SMITH ATTORNEY June 2, 1964 R. E. SMITH FELT CONDITIONER 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed NOV. 3, 1961 INVENTOR.

ROBERT E. SMITH ATTORNEY.

June 2, 1964 R. E. SMITH FELT CONDITIONER 6 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Nov. 3, 1961 H H m w. E E m m E B 0 R Em y w v L |m.| I on 1 1 1 l mm Llllll llllll III I a T8 m mm 2 mm um ww ww w 2 8 ATTORNEY.

June 2, 1964 R. E. SMITH FELT CONDITIONER '6 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Nov. 3 1961 N? 8. w. ow

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ROBERT E. SMITH ATTORNEY:

June 2, 1964 R. E. SMITH FELT CONDITIONER 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed NOV. 5, 1961.

ATTORNEY.

m m w m E EWFH mm o R 2 mm -i 1| w T l mm mm wllll l| u m lllllllllll ll w 8 a OW 8 mm -w wm E June 2, 1964 R. E. SMITH FELT CONDITIONER 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 Filed NOV. 3, 1961 INVENTOR. ROBERT E. SMITH BY ATTORNEY:

United States Patent Ofifice 3,135,653 FELT CONDITIUNER Robert E. Smith, Hudson Falls, N.Y., assignor to The Sandy Hill Iron & Brass Works, Hudson Falls, N.Y., a corporation Filed Nov. 3, 1961, Ser. No. 149,950 1 Claim. (Cl. 1&2-277) This invention relates to improvements in automatic cleaning devices for paper making machines, and a primary object of the invention is to provide a device of this character for the purpose of cleaning the felt which is operated at the wet end of a paper making machine without interfering with the operation of the machine.

It is another object to provide an apparatus for use in connection with the felt of a paper making machine wherein the felt is subjected to the action of jets of water under pressure to dislodge the impurities in the felt and the water and impurities are removed from the felt by suction boxes.

A further object hereof is to provide a device which will concentrate a pressure of a suitable fluid on the felt in such manner that all foreign matter is removed therefrom.

A still further object is to provide a device which will move transversely of the machine and automatically reverse its direction of movement so that during operation the device will cover the entire area of the felt, all in a manner so as to cause the jets of fluid to reach the full surface of the felt as the felt is moved longitudinally. In such prior art devices as are known, relative movement of the cleaning mechanism has required more or less flexibility in the conduit through which the fluid is delivered to the mechanism, and in this connection, a problem has arisen in connection with the support of the flexible conduit free of contact with the felt While at the same time permitting the flexibility essential to permit the spraying apparatus to move to and fro across the felt.

The invention consists in the features of construction, combinations of elements, and arrangement of parts as will be exemplified in the structure to be hereinafter described and the scope of the application of which'will be indicated in the following claim.

The particular embodiment may be briefly described as embracing the concept of a cleansing apparatus for the felt of a paper machine comprising, a source of a fluid under pressure, a rack carrying a plurality of spray nozzles, a means adapted to move said rack along a predetermined path, and header means leading from said source of supply and connected to said nozzles for delivering fluid thereto.

In papermaking machinery, the pulp-supporting element of the machine may tend to become clogged with pulp and accordingly to introduce imperfections in the paper. It is also to be noted that, in machinery of this sort, the space available for cleansing mechanism is usually cramped and the conditions of use are severe. To provide apparatus which will efliciently meet these severe requirements and perform its functions in a practical and dependable manner are among the dominant aims of this invention, although it may be noted that certain features herein set forth are of advantage in other relations.

This is a self-contained unit equipped with a hydraulic drive that permits travel of the conditioning mechanism across the felt at a speed which may or may not be synchronized with the paper machine speed by the operators adjustment.

Herein, I provide a mechanism which oscillates a plurality of nozzles across the entire width of the felt. By means of these nozzles, a water and steam mixture with or without a detergent additive is sprayed on the felt.

3,135,653 Patented June 2, 1964 The excess Water and dirt are removed by a felt suction box.

By the means hereof, the felt life is greatly increased, the use of shorter felts is made possible, and continuous operation without the necessity of slowing down for clogged felts is permitted.

The conditioning of a felt means a maximum of water removal at the presses instead of at the dryers where it costs a great deal more. Indeed it may cost ten to twelve times as much to remove a pound of water in the dryer section. For this reason, felt conditioning equipment is installed particularly on the first and second felts of the press section. On first, second and third felts, either on the cylinder type or the Fourdrinier type of paper making machine, the felt conditioning is followed by a shower all the way across the machine and a felt suction box located on the outside of the felt to remove the fibers and dirt which have been dislodged by the jets of the felt conditioner proper. All of this is accomplished with a minimum of deleterious effect on the felt and the maximum of dirt and fiber removal from the meshes and nap of the felt.

As is known, a paper machine felt is a Woven fabric, endless in form, designed specifically for the several functions which it serves: as a conveyor belt, as a filter membrane, and as a power transmission belt. It must withstand all of the diflicult conditions encountered on a paper machine and still provide a smooth, soft, yet resilient cushion for conveying a wet web of paper, too Weak to support itself.

Felting is the process whereby wool yarns are worked together under the influence of moisture, heat, and mechanical action to give a cushion-like surface, with individual yarns interlocking with each other, the construction being unique for itsability to absorb water from a wet sheet of paper and then to release this water again under pressure, the felt being sufiiciently open to permit the passage of water therethrough, yet sufliciently dense to carry the web of paper without marking the same and having the ability to pick up a sheet of wet paper from another carrying medium and to deliver it to another point without injuring the sheet and with no particles of the paper stock adhering thereto.

The basic properties of a balanced felt are proper design, good cushioning, proper drainage, adequate life strength, and ability to breathe, properties due in great part to the wool fibers.

The felt is a comparatively delicate fabric, and yet it must do the Work of an endless belt running constantly at a high rate of speed between heavy rolls, carrying a great weight of paper and Water, and with a constant liability to injury, its lift depending very largely on the treatment it receives at the hands of the machine tenders.

There are presently commercially available machines which make it possible to wash the felts without the customary shutdowns. One such washer consists of a pair of rolls and associated steam pipes, the rolls being lever controlled in manner to bring the steam pipes to bear downwardly against the felt so that, within seconds, the felt is cleaned of all dirty substances. Such system avoids the wrinkles and creases in the felt so common to the known methods of hand manipulation of felt washing.

Another known type of felt conditioner consists of one or more conditioning boxes mounted on a slide supported on bearings on each side of the paper machine. Each conditioning box is engaged through its mounting with a screw operated by a driving and reversing mechanism driven from the press roll shaft. To each conditioning box is connected a hose to supply Warm Water and another hose leading to a vacuum supply. The conditioning box travels across the working face of the felt. During its travel, warm water is forced through the felt and pulled back again by vacuum, thus cleaning the felt and treating the threads so that the felt does not become flattened and hardened.

. Each of these conditioners oifer disadvantages in that they are expensive to maintain and/or operate andare incapable of use with modern, high-speed, paper machines.

Still another type of felt conditioner is known as the Scofield felt conditioner which comprises essentially, a casing containing a long screw which moves a pair of shower jets back and forth across the felt, their rate of travel being timed to correspond roughly with the travel of the felt. The jets are located either inside the felt or in the case of extremely dense felts outside the felt and are so located that the nap of the felt is disturbed and the fiber and dirt which is accumulated is driven off. However, applications of this type of felt conditioner on wide, high-speed paper machines have been shown to be definitely beyond the practical limits, thereof.

In contradistinction, I provide a novel felt cleaner which may be used with high speed paper machines of increased width which eliminates the aforesaid objectionable inconveniences and which is an improvement in the art which, on the basis of the factors involved, is capable of solving the difficulties heretofore encountered and assures the adequate conditioning of felt on modern paper machines having a width in excess of 150" and/ or having a running speed in excess of 500 feet per minute.

These foregoing objects and other incidental ends and advantages will in part be obvious and apparent and will in part be more fully pointed out as the nature of the invention is better understood in the progress of the disclosure below. To the end of attaining these objects and advantages and others hereinafter reasonably appearing, it will be explained that the invention consists substantially in the combination, construction, configuration, location and function of parts, as herein described in detail.

The characteristic features which I consider to be novel with my invention, as to its construction and organization and as to its method of operation, will be better understood from a consideration of the following detailed description forming a part of this specification, when read in conjunction with the illustrations in the accompanying drawings, wherein like characters of reference are employed to designate like or corresponding parts throughout the several views and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a felt conditioner constructed and arranged to operate in accordance with one practical embodiment of the invention;

' FIGS. 2 and 2A constitute an enlarged broken front elevational view of the felt conditioner of the invention;

FIGS. 3 and 3A constitute an enlarged, broken top plan view of the felt conditioner of the invention;

FIG. 4 is an end elevational view of the felt conditioner taken from the left, as viewed in FIGS. 2 and 2A; and

FIG. 5 is an end elevational view of the felt conditioner taken from the right, as viewed in FIGS. 2 and 2A.

With continued reference now to the drawings, which illustrate a typical and preferred embodiment of the invention for the purpose of disclosure and form a part of this specification, I have shown a felt conditioner comprising generally an elongated cylindrical rack carrying a plurality of longitudinally-spaced shower nozzles 12 and terminally mounted for longitudinal reciprocating movement between a pair of spaced end brackets, generally indicated by 14 and 16.

While the rack 10 is illustrated as being of cylindrical cross-section, some may be square, rectangular or of any other geometric cross-section, as may be desired and without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention.

The end brackets 14 and 16 are each fixed to a base plate 18 by any suitable means, each said base plate in turn resting upon a frame F on one side of the paper making machine in which the felt, not shown, is guided in longitudinal movement.

Each of the end brackets 14 and 16 will comprise a pair of transversely spaced, upwardly-extending, arms 20, between which arms, end frames, generally indicated by 22 and 24, fixed to an integral with the opposite ends of rack 10 and extending horizontally outwardly therefrom, are slidingly receivable.

The end frames 22 and 24 are each provided with an upper horizontally-extending wall 26 having its longitudinal edges disposed outwardly of a pair of spaced, vertical side walls 28 and 3t) fixed to and depending downwardly from the respective wall 26 wherefore each end frame is slidable along and relative to suitable cam followers 32 journalled in the arms 20 of the end brackets 14 or 16 adjacent the upper ends thereof.

Hydraulic power means is provided at one end of the rack 10 to impart horizontal reciprocating movement thereto and is comprised of a piston, not shown, disposed within a cylinder 34 mounted between the arms 20 of end bracket 14, with the piston having a piston rod 36 extending horizontally outwardly from said cylinder 34 and being fixed at its forwardmost end to one end of rack 10, by which means, as the piston reciprocates within said cylinder, a corresponding horizontal reciprocating movement is imparted to rack 10, with end frames 22 and 24- sliding along and relative to the respective cam followers 32 provided in the respective end brackets 14 and 16.

Longitndinally-extending slide bars 33 are provided adjacent the lower horizontal edges of the vertical side Walls 28 and 30 of the end frames and are in kissing position relative to oilite bars 40 disposed downwardly of the cam followers 32 fixed upon the inner faces of the bracket arms 20, by which means, any unwanted lateral displacement of the end frames is precluded and smooth reciprocating movement of rack 10 is assured.

Reversing switches 42 are mounted upon brackets 44 fixed to each of the arms 20 of end bracket 14 and are so positioned as to be engaged by vanes 46 disposed upon the upper wall 26 of the end frame 22 and extending laterally outwardly from either longitudinal edge thereof so as to reverse the stroke of the piston when contacted by the vanes 46. The positions of both the switches and the vanes may be varied, as desired, to effect any desired adjustment in the stroke of the piston within cylinder 34.

A shower header 50 is disposed adjacent and parallel to the rack 10 and extends between support brackets 52 and 54 provided on the end brackets 14 and 16, the shower header being connected to an external source of fluid normally comprising a mixture of steam and water, whereby said mixture may be supplied to the shower nozzles 12 in manner hereinafter to be described.

A plurality of horizontally-aligned flexible hoses 56, which may be formed from Suitable metal tubing, each extend laterally outwardly from said shower header at spaced intervals therealong and will be seen to assume a generally U-shape in vertical elevation and to comprise spaced, parallel, horizontally disposed, upper and lower portions 58 and 60 respectively, interconnected at one end by a curved intermediate portion 62.

The free end of said lower portion 60 is secured to the shower header 50, as by a coupling 64, while the free end of said upper portion 58 is secured, as by a coupling 66,

to the upper end of a vertically disposed shower pipe 68 which passes, in tight fitting manner, through suitable openings provided in rack 10. A horizontally disposed pipe nipple 70, best seen in FIGS. 1 and 5, is coupled to the lower end of pipe 68 and carries one of the shower nozzles 12 at its forwardmost opposite end so as to per mit the direction of the fluid from its delivering end terminating slightly above the surface of the felt.

The shower nozzles are spaced apart for a total distance equal to or slightly greater than half the width of the felt with which they are to cooperate.

A mixture of water and steam is fed into the shower header and passes through each of the flexible hoses 56 in fluid communication with the nozzles 12 connected thereto by the shower pipes 68 carried by the rack 10.

An important feature of the present invention is the provision of means for rigidly supporting the plurality of flexible hoses by which the fluid is supplied to the respective nozzles, with the support operating at all times immediately above and in spaced relation to the felt and adapted to permit the necessary reciprocating movement of the spray heads in moving to and fro across the felt.

As the rack reciprocates, the water and steam mixture emanating from the nozzles 12 will be sprayed onto the felt travelling therebelow, with any excess water and dirt being removed by a felt suction box, not shown.

The rack 10, carrying the nozzles 12, will travel in a direction transverse to the direction of travel of the felt, and will be reciprocated at a desired speed, which speed may be approximately equal to the speed of the felt, wherefor all areas thereof will be subjected to the cleansing action of the water and steam mixture being expelled through the nozzles. Suitable control means, not shown, may be provided to control and time the movement of the rack with the travel of the felt in order that maximum felt cleaning action may be attained.

The positions of reversing switches 42 and of vanes 46 may be varied to accommodate the felt conditioner to felts of various widths, it being understood that the apparatus hereof is so constructed as to produce adequate conditioning of felts on paper machines having a width in excess of 150" and having a running speed in excess of 500 feet per minute.

The spraying apparatus, which forms the particular subject-matter of the present application, cooperates in its cleaning function with suction boxes for removing the Water and refuse from the felt. These suction boxes are arranged in adance of the spray nozzles or jets in the direction of travel of the felt in order that the water may be delivered to the felt and immediately thereafter the felt subjected to the action of the suction boxes.

From the foregoing, it is obvious that I have provided a truly novel felt conditioner adaptable for use with wide, high speed paper machines.

The protection which is sought for this invention is covered by the language of the above specification and the spirit represented thereby.

The claim is desired to include Within the scope thereof all of said'suitable variations, modifications and equivatlents by which substantially the results of the invention may be obtained through the use of substantially the same or equivalent devices or means. Accordingly, limitation hereof should only be made as determined by a proper interpretation of the prior art and the scope of the subjoined claim, in which it is my intention to claim all novelty inherent herein as broadly as possible.

I therefore particularly point out and distinctly claim as my invention:

A felt conditioner for a paper machine comprising, spaced upright end brackets, 21 horizontally-extending rack disposed between said end brackets having axially aligned end frames extending forwardly and rearwardly from its opposite ends, said end frames being slideably receivable between said end brackets, one of said end frames having vanes fixed to and extending outwardly from the upper surface thereof, hydraulic means connected to one of said end frames for imparting horizontal reciprocating movement to Said rack relative to said end bracket-s, switches for reversing the direction of travel of said rack upon contact with said vanes on said one end frame, a stationary shower header spaced from said rack and parallel thereto, said shower header being connected to a source of fluid under pressure, flexible hoses coupled to said shower header at spaced intervals therealong, each of said flexible hoses being further connected to a shower pipe fixed to and extending downwardly through said rack, and shower nozzles integral with said shower pipe and horizontally-disposed below said rack above the felt travelling therebelow, said flexible hoses being rigidly supported by said rack and said shower nozzles being adapted to spray fluid upon the felt in a direction transverse to the direction of travel of the felt.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,719,969 Dupuis July 9, 1929 1,853,064 Lansing Apr. 12, 1932 1,859,508 Harris May 24, 1932 2,318,368 Broughton May 4, 1943 

